Bhaltair nudges Naze and says that they've seen this minotaur before, through the looking glass, with their alternate selves. Earlier in the district (or later?)
Valaari says "alright"
Rames takes a couple steps forward and calls out in Dwarven, "you friendly?"
Runmae responds "that depends on you!"
She calls back "everyone alright?"
They aren't sure, they quickly check each other other. Several of them have aged.
Rames asks if she can approach?
Runmae passes the question on to the others. Valaari comments that there is 5 of them and only one of her, they can take her if it gets spicy
Bhaltair comments that she was with them in the future
This makes Runmae's head hurt
Rames approaches, and comments that she hasn't seen the Hounds in a while. "What did you do?"
They aren't sure what they did? Runmae suggests it was because they spoke to their last victims?
"Their last victims?"
Runmae mentions the other minotaurs, surely they must've passed them?
"No?"
Runmae explains further, and that they had mentioned the hounds. Valaari comments that they heard the bells in broken Dwarvish.
Rames also heard the bells, it's why she came to investigate.
Runmae asks if she lives here? "No, I don't live here. I do spend a lot of time here though."
Valaari asks for clarity, she goes in and out? How?
"It calls to me. I follow that feeling and I always end up here"
But how do they leave?
"I always find a way eventually"
They ask why she does this?
"I explore it, for fun"
Runmae is perplexed. "It's hardly a walk in the picnic"
This confuses everybody
Rames continues that she feels a deep need to understand this place. Valaari says they have that in common.
She goes on to say that she's surprised they came alone, that was risky. "What do you mean? Nobody comes here"
"That's obviously not true"
Clearly
Rames says that people wander in but mostly get lost, unless they're a minotaur. "What makes you so special?"
She shrugs
Bhaltair puts their hand up and asks if they should cast truespeech? Valaari thinks they're getting on okay
Warren says it's boring listening to them have a conversation he can't understand
Bhaltair comments that they didn't even catch this minotaur's name! Valaari says they didn't ask for it
Fine, Valaari is convinced. Runmae asks if Bhaltair can cast a spell on her?
Rames gestures for them to go ahead, and thanks them for asking. "Not that I could stop you"
Valaari pulls a face as Bhaltair casts the spell
"I don't feel any different"
"Hello!" says Bhaltair
"Hello!"
"I'm Bhaltair, who are you?"
"I'm Rames!"
"Did my friends here ask your name?"
"No"
Bhaltair is disappointed. "They forget their manners sometimes, and I've lived in a forest my entire life"
Rames doesn't know what a forest is
"A place filled with bigger versions of me" says Bhaltair
"But they mostly don't move" clarifies Valaari
This is such a funny way to describe a forest
"No they move, they sway"
This isn't helping
"They don't talk as much though" - Valaari
"Some of them do" - Bhaltair
Bhaltair asks for the footnotes. Valaari explains that the district calls to Rames, but they're able to get out too.
Oh!
Bhaltair says that they've seen Rames. "In Vralkast?" "No, here"
Okay
"What was I doing?"
"Waving at us, but everyone else was looking moody, but then we walked off together. I think"
"So you saw yourself with me?"
"Yes"
"Okay"
Valaari asks if that happens a lot?
Rames says that weird stuff happens a lot, but she doesn't usually see herself, no
"It seems you're going to help us"
Rames slowly nods
She explains that time is weird here, it doesn't flow at the same rate as in Vralkast. Once, she came out before she'd gone in
Runmae hates that
They ask if she knows why the district is like this? Closed off and hungry?
it's closed off because the Wyrd Vigil keep closing the portals. It's just always been hungry though, as far as she can tell
Bhaltair asks what the big stone she's carrying is?
"A map"
Runmae asks how that works? Doesn't the district change?
"Usually yes, but not for me"
"Cos you're a minotaur?"
"Yeah"
Fascinating. How does that work? Minotaurs are good at remembering routes, but the route changes?
Bhaltair has a theory that the district doesn't change, but they forget where they're going because time gets weird?
Bhaltair asks about the hounds? Runmae asks when they last saw them?
Rames hasn't seen them in several trips
Warren asks if she was friends with the hounds? She isn't sure one can be
Rames doesn't think they're really creatures
Damn, so Warren can't eat them
Rames thinks they're like, a defense mechanism? Or a manifestation of the district?
Valaari asks, a defense against what?
She doesn't know what causes them to manifest. They mentioned they spoke to the hounds last victims?
They explain again, they saw a group of like a dozen extremely old minotaurs that couldn't move, but could look with their eyes. They "set them free"
Valaari clarifies they set some of them free. Those that consented.
Bhaltair even used Sending on one of them
Valaari asks again if they've seen them at all, and Rames says no
They ask if she's rescued people from the district before?
She hasn't
"Would you like to?"
"Do you need rescuing?"
They don't think so, but they do need a way out. Maybe if they run into the minotaurs again, she can try and get them out?
Valaari asks why she has the map and the string if her people have perfect recall? She says that when she spends a long time here, she starts to doubt herself
Valaari asks if they retrace their steps, could they find them again? Do they want to?
Bhaltair has a cantrip that can help them. They cast it, and learn that North doesn't exist. They get a direction to where they were, but it's not the direction they came.
Valaari asks if they're sure?
"Positive"
Well if they keep doing that, maybe they can find them, even if the plane is trying to mislead them.
Or it could be an indication that they can't get back
Valaari asks if Rames can take them out of the district? She says she doesn't know a specific exit, they manifest for her sometimes.
"Hopefully that'll happen while you're with us"
Bhaltair leads the way trying to get back to the minotaurs.
Valaari asks how long they follow this before they give up?
Bit meaningless, as time is meaningless
Bhaltair suggests they can try several castings as they go, and if it turns them around 3 times, they give up
They walk for a while, and then Runmae spots their past selves. They all do what they saw before, and Rames asks if that's what they saw before?
Yeah
Rames then points out, off to the right, another group of the party, but Rames isn't with them. Future Bhaltair holds up a stopwatch for them to see, and Future Runmae flips them off and mouths something.
Rames asks why she's flipping them off? "If we end up stuck here, I'm gonna be pissed off, okay"
Rames can't really see what they're holding up? Bhaltair takes a look with their spyglass and observes the very intricate, brass spyglass
Future Bhaltair is smiling, but Current Bhaltair is not
Bhaltair mentions the pocket watch. Rames, confused, gets out the same pocket watch. "This one?"
Bhaltair says it looks very similar
"But why am I not with you?"
Valaari says that is the question. Bhaltair is sure they'll find out.
"At least I look optimistic!"
Runmae says they always do, though
They take another look to see what mood the others seem to be in.
Runmae looks miserable.
Warren looks tired and hungry.
Naze looks sad.
Bhaltair says that Runmae looks tired, Warren looks normal.
Bhaltair says that Naze looks...real happy
and Valaari also looks normal
"See, it's gonna be fine! Everyone looks fine"
Runmae is confused, but Rames isn't there?
Bhaltair says they'd all look sad if they lost Rames! And they don't!
Warren says there's no point worrying about the future, it'll be there when they get there
Bhaltair says "why are you worrying, we all look fine?"
Runmae asks if the watch had a time on it, but it was closed (and Bhaltair can't tell the time)
Once the future selves are confident that their past selves have seen the watch, they walk into an alleyway and the party lose sight of them
Warren says he misses the labyrinth. He misses the scorching heat, and the demons, and the carrion tribes, when everything was simple and he didn't have to stare at himself across the expanse.
Bhaltair is confused, but this is cool??
Warren does not agree
Bhaltair says it confirms they're alive!
"Not me though, why am I not there?"
Valaari suggests maybe she got out and they couldn't follow for some reason? "But why'd I give you my watch?"
Bhaltair thinks maybe it's a signal, so she could find them again or something?
Warren suggests they may've stolen the watch and ran away? Naze says they wouldn't do that
Warren shrugs and says sometimes he just gets the urge to take things, nothing to be done about it
Runmae looks in her bag and goes "wait, where's my lucky rock!?"
"This one?"
Runmae reclaims her lucky rock from Warren
Bhaltair is looking at Valaari like they're looking at the camera in an episode of The Office
Valaari doesn't comment
Bhaltair says "Once, and never again"
Warren insight checks them, and determines they have lied...at some point? They're trying to convince Valaari that they lied once and never again
but Warren doesn't believe them
He communicates this by raising a single eyebrow, suspiciously
Rames suggests they keep moving, and asks them to promise they won't murder her and take her watch
Valaari says they don't do that. Warren promises not to murder her.
She believes them.
"Clearly, I give you the watch for some reason. In fact, I'm going to do that now."
She gives the watch to Runmae
She explains to be careful with it, it's not a normal pocket watch. If she messes with it, it'll influence real time
"Be careful"
Runmae says "what if I really want to use it though?"
Bhaltair goes "oh, that's why" and tries to take it from Runmae
Runmae refuses, and doesn't let them take it
We all know Bhaltair gets it eventually
They continue following Bhaltair's magic
They find a crowd of minotaurs slumped against the architecture, their bodies young and healthy, their clothing pristine. There's no intelligence behind their eyes, and they have injuries consistent with those inflicted by the party last time. One of them has a vest with an open pocket, where one would put a pocket watch. No pocket watch is present though.
Bhaltair asks if they want to try and talk to them?
"Yeah didn't we want to try and rescue them or something?" says Warren
They aren't sure how they'd carry 13 minotaurs out of here. Also they killed a bunch of them.
Warren starts going on about time travel and paradoxes and confuses everyone
"Where did that come from?"
"I don't fucking know, man"
Valaari notes that the injuries the minotaurs have are the ones that they inflicted on them. Oh no.
"What came first, the egg or the chicken?"
Warren goes up to one of them and holds up the paper, and asks if they're dead?
"Ask if they remember us?"
Their eyes don't move, no response.
Bhaltair asks Rames if she's seen anything like this before?
"No"
They were old and now they're young
"Yeah, time is...yeah"
They try to ask one of the ones that they didn't "free"
Even the ones that they didn't put out of their misery are not reacting
Hmm
"Oh well, we tried" - Bhaltair
They ponder if the hounds got to them or something
"But you don't age back? That's not what they do?" says Valaari
Warren has a brainwave, "Oh! you know when we killed the hounds? Maybe they barfed the time back up and they got their ages back!"
But the party didn't get their age back
"And surely some of them would still be old, since we didn't kill all of the hounds?"
Rames says maybe this is what happens when you lose your watch?
Warren asks if there's multiple watches? Rames doesn't know
They have a look around in the nearby area to see if they can find another watch
Bhaltair stumbles upon the body of a minotaur, one they recognise. Last time they saw them, they were on The Break, they screamed and disappeared. Their covered in open, bloodless wounds, and clutched in their right hand is Rames pocketwatch.
Bhaltair calls out to Rames, and asks if they know a minotaur by this description?
"No by that description!"
Bhaltair goes "hmm", pockets the watch, and returns to the group. "Found one!"
They also ask why they were looking for a watch?
"So you can show it to us"
"But we already had one?"
"It's not ours, it was Rames. This one is ours"
Bhaltair thinks this one is also Rames? Valaari says nah, they have one already
Runmae gets Rames' watch out, and Bhaltair compares the two. They are identical, even showing the same time.
Bhaltair asks if Rames can tell a difference? She points at the one in Runmae's hand and says "that one is mine"
"How can you tell?"
"Just feels like it"
Bhaltair then asks if they remember the minotaur they saw on the Break? They're here
"So we saw them being taken?"
"I don't know about that, but they're here, they're old and dead, and they had this"
Well, okay then
Rames asks for her watch back. Bhaltair says "of course"
Runmae hesitates. Bhaltair says "yes, of course" again
Runmae gives up the watch.
Valaari asks if Rames has found anything interesting. She gets out a chunk of byeshk ore.
Valaari asks where she found it, and she says "a part of the district with different architecture, more smooth"
Valaari comments that this is incredibly valuable
"Anything else?"
"Oh there was..."
She trails off, and seems to reconsider. Warren asks if she's okay
"Yeah I just...I doubt my memory the longer I spend here. It's nothing, I don't want to worry you with my hallucinations"
"Please worry us" - Valaari
Rames explains that she thinks she found the end of the labyrinth. It looked at her, and one of its tongues lapped at her, so she left.
"Tongues?"
She doesn't know how to explain. The group start listing various animals to compare it to, but she just says no to all of them
Warren says that whatever she got licked by, she's their best shot out of here so she has his support. "Sorry that happened, or congrats, whatever you feel about it"
Rames seems hung up on the fact she wasn't with the group when they saw themselves. Valaari says maybe she was just offscreen
"Offscreen?"
"Don't worry about it, saw it in a dream"
Warren tries to comfort her, it's no fun coming to terms with your own mortality. "By all rights, I should be a rat corpse by now"
"Rat?"
Uhh, uh oh
ffs Warren
"I just meant cos I've been a...bad boy, it doesn't matter"
But the important thing is, her not being there doesn't mean she died!
"Yeah, but you can't get out if I'm with you. Do we need to split up?"
Bhaltair says to just let it happen, if she exits and they can't, that's just what happens
Bhaltair can always "know the way" to where they saw their future self
Valaari asks Bhaltair to try that spell but with a location in Vralkast? Does it work? Maybe it will lead them to an exit!
Bhaltair casts the spell, and it fails. They lie and say "it's this way" and starts walking
They follow, of course
They wander for a while, and Bhaltair doesn't cast the spell again
After a while, Rames holds up her watch, and a nearby door opens. The others look through, and see exactly what they expect to see on the other side of the door.
Bhaltair asks if this is an exit? Rames says yes, she thinks so
"Okay, in you go, Runmae" - Bhaltair
"Why do I need to go first!?"
Cos she's the brave tank, obviously
She goes through the door, and she is now inside the building. "It's just a house"
She activates her tremorsense, nobody else around. Just the group and Rames.
She investigates further, but nothing seems weird
"Yeah it's just a house"
Rames is frowning slightly
Bhaltair asks if something is wrong?
"The door leads into an alleyway. I can hear Runmae, but I can't see her"
"Ah. It doesn't work for us, then"
"Shit"
Rames doesn't really want to leave them here, if she goes, they'll get lost
Bhaltair asks if they can see her watch? She gives it to them, and they can see the alleyway
Aha! You need the watch!
Bhaltair compares the watches again, and identifies them both. They're both magical, they're both the same
"Looks like we need more watches, then"
Valaari suggests they could all hold onto the pocket watch!
As they ponder doing this with Rames' watch, they all feel intensely uncomfortable
They give Rames her watch back.
They all touch Rames watch
They can see the exit, but there is this intense discomfort in their abdomen. Bhaltair has a feeling they're going to annoy the dimension if they attempt to leave this way
Runmae says "so we've gotta play by their rules? So we all need a watch?"
Rames suggests maybe they just can't leave with her?
Maybe
Warren says he thinks she should go for it
Bhaltair does a Sense Motive on Rames, to see if she's trying to mislead them into getting stuck. She's been very coy. They think she's genuine, but there's something off with her, like something's influencing her mind. This is reinforced by her comments earlier about doubting her memories the longer she's been here.
Bhaltair whispers this to Valaari. Maybe the thing that licked them?
"Either way, I guess this is your stop" says Bhaltair
"I guess so..." agrees Rames.
Runmae says "see you around", and Rames says she hopes they're able to escape
They wish her luck, and she exits the Eighth.
They are once again alone.
They continue to wander for some time, searching for another watch.
Warren finds another dead minotaur, but no watch
Nobody else is successful at finding corpses or watches
After about an hour, they spot their past selves, with Rames! Huzzah!
Bhaltair contemplates not holding up the watch, but Valaari tells them to do it.
"Why?"
"Because you already did it, and if you don't, they might not find the watch"
Runmae says they could be stuck here forever
"Bhaltair, please don't break the space-time continuum" - Warren
but what if that's what Rames wants them to do?
Bhaltair says they were all way too chill about the fact something that affecting Rames mind.
"Yeah...we've known Rames for like 5 minutes, I don't care" responds Runmae. "The solution to our problem was the watch, we don't need them"
Bhaltair says that everything Rames told them could be wrong, something was affecting her mind!
Valaari says they can't trust anything anyway.
The longer Bhaltair goes without holding up the watch, the more intense a feeling of discomfort is gathering in their abdomen
They do a vote on whether they should hold up the watch
Everyone else says yes, Naze goes "ehhhh"
Steph is incapable of giving an opinion
Bhaltair holds up the watch for their past selves to see
They have to watch their past selves bicker, like they did, and compare with Rames watch. Runmae flips their past selves off, and says "never looking before you leap, you dumb bitch"
Naze thinks she was talking to him, and it makes him kinda sad
Bhaltair is lost in though, they don't smile, concerned that Rames was unintentionally hiding things from them
Warren is thinking about how tired and hungry he is
lmao
Then they hear a door open behind them, in an alley
They go to the door, and see an alleyway in Sowshore on the other side. Naze bolts through it, and gestures for the others to follow. They do so, quickly
They're back in Vralkast!
Valaari asks if they just got kicked out by the district? Possibly
Bhaltair says "everything happened as it was meant to"
Bhaltair comments that they should probably skedaddle, as the Stoneseers will have noticed the "maze incident" and alerted the Wyrd Vigil.
We end early here because it's too hot. Next step is to petition the Forum Fomor for assistance.